In the Footsteps of painter Richard Hall

Edward Hall, visiting card, undated Photo: Valokuvaamo (photographic studio) John Englund Source: Satakunta Museum Brother Edward Hall Richard Hall's older brother Edward was born on August 31, 1857, in Helsinki. According to church records, the family moved to Pori on December 19, 1859. From there, they moved to Helsinki in 1864 and possibly to London in 1867. The Hall family then moved to Stockholm around 1875. I discuss these times in more detail in my blog post about Richard Hall’s childhood . I have no information about where Edward Hall studied for his profession. Career In the 1880s, Edward Hall worked in Joensuu for Gustaf Cederberg & Co, a company that owned sawmills. From there, he moved to Noormarkku in the early 1890s to work for A. Ahlström Oy. Maarit Grahn's doctoral thesis, Family Business and Localism: Family Business and Locality: The historical heritage of A. Ahlström Corporation in Noormarkku (University of Turku, 2014), reveals Edward Hall's role dur...

Mother Alexandrine Zélie Hall  If Richard Hall's father had a fascinating life story, the same can be said of his mother. Alexandrine Zélie Hall, née Cornetz, was born in Switzerland – how did she end up in Finland? The answer remains unclear for now, but here is what I have found out about her so far. From Switzerland to Finland According to her parish records, Alexandrine Hall was born in Neuchâtel on February 12, 1834. More precisely, she was probably from a place called Cortaillod, right next to Neuchâtel. This is stated in her obituaries, which were published in several newspapers 86 years later. The records of the Swedish-Finnish parish of Helsinki indicate that she originally used the name Zelie Alexandrine Cornetz. The church records also include the following note: "Moved from the Pohja parish on October 27, 1856, according to the transfer certificate/announcement certificate. Accompanied by a certificate from Repulique & Canton de Neuchatel, dated 13 August 1856...

How did Richard Hall's English father and Swiss-French mother come to live in Finland in the 19th century? Depending on the source, the details vary, but in any case, the story must begin with Hall's grandfather John Hall of Tredennick. The most comprehensive information about Richard Hall's family roots can be found in an article published in Finnish newspaper Satakunnan Kansa on 12 September 1937, written while the artist was still alive. The article was written under the pseudonym Arctoterrannus. The information in this post is based on that article unless otherwise stated. Grandfather John Hall of Tredennick The personal history of Grandfather Hall is described in the Finnish blog Kadonnutta aikaa (Lost Time). John Hall was born on 6 May 1785 in London and his family owned the Tredneck estate in Middlesex County, England. At some point in his life John Halll moved to St Petersburg, and later from there to Finland. According to geni.com , he had eight children in total...